Russia brings in new travel rules for nationals of visa-free countries, including Armenia

YEREVAN, January 21. /ARKA/. Russian Federation has introduced new travel and stay rules for citizens of visa-free countries, including Armenia, the press office of Armenia’s ministry of territorial administration reported.

According to the amendments to the Russian law about entry and exit and the law about legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation that came into force on January 1 2014, national of the visa-free countries, including Armenia, are allowed to stay in Russia for 90 days during each 180-day period, the ministry said.

This means that after staying in Russia during 90 days, citizens of these countries are not allowed to leave the country and come back again as they did before, according to the report.

Sanctions are envisaged for breach of the new rules – offenders will be banned from entering the Russian Federation for three years.

Before migrants could stay in Russia for 90 days, leave the country and arrive again as early as after several days.

The federal migration service of the Russian Federation says the amendments are to counteract illegal migration.

According to the migration service, there are currently about 3.5 million illegal migrants working in Russia. –0—